I still remember when I first arrived in Canada and saw the IHOP sign and wondered what it stood for? When I discovered it was an actual, house of pancakes, I knew we would be friends. A fluffy stack of delicious pancakes, topped with a perfect pat of butter and drenched in syrup, yep, that holds a very special place in my heart and always will.

Me and the family crew were invited to IHOP to check out their brand new App: Pancake Squad and to test out some of the new menu items in conjunction with the movie: "The Kid Who Would Be King"

King of Pancakes: two of IHOP’s world-famous Buttermilk pancakes covered with delicious chocolate and hazelnut sauce and banana slices and an edible cookie in the shape of the sword Excalibur.

While enjoying these special items, families can use their Pancake Squad App on a mobile device to reveal augmented reality characters and images from the film who magically will appear on their special place mats and at various points in the restaurant such as the “How Many Pancakes Tall Are You” measuring chart. They can also play games including a “photo booth”, a “Kings Quest” and a “Seek & Find” game, all of which incorporate characters and elements from the film.

The App is a great! There are a few games and some really cool features that allow you to colour the menu page and bring it to life in the App showing the actual colouring in you have done. This obviously turned into a family table colouring competition! Great fun!

The App is totally free and is fun for kids and grown ups too! You can also use the App to see how many pancakes you are tall, who doesn't need that?

Grab the family and go order the largest stack of pancakes you can and say a big Happy Birthday to IHOP who celebrates their 50th Birthday this year! To help spread the pancake love I have a $20 Voucher for IHOP to giveaway. Tell me your favourite pancake combination in the comments and I will pick a winner on 8th February 2019.

The IHOP's "The Kid Who Would Be King" promotion will be running in participating restaurants until 24th February 2019.

Me and my family attended a free press launch event at IHOP. I did not get paid for this post. IHOP provided me with the $20 voucher to giveaway to my fabulous readers. Images, milkshake drinking children, spelling mistakes and opinions are my own.

3 pm in the afternoon is the perfect time for cake. A nice cup of tea and a slice of cake is what 3 pm is all about. Any cake will do, of course, but a nice loaf is hard to beat at 3 pm with it's thick layer of butter and the appeal that it will just keep getting better as the days roll on.

This recipe is hand written in one of my cookery books. It's my mum's recipe and just as her recipe dictates it is called "Yorkshire T Bread". I have added a few things over time but the basic recipe remains exactly the same and it's simplicity is only part of it's charm. It's totally delicious. It's even more delicious after a few days wrapped snugly in foil and preferably put somewhere out of sight so you are not tempted to eat it. For those who avoid certain things in life, this cake also has the added bonus of being egg & diary free, for which I find most helpful when I realise I have totally run out of eggs. (Please note I never run out of butter, I am some what of a butter hoarder!)

MUM'S YORKSHIRE T BREAD

WHAT YOU NEED

1 cup all bran cereal

1 cup sugar

1 cup fruit (This is where I like to get creative. I usually add a mix of fruit and seeds. This loaf has cranberries, pumpkin & flax seeds. Use whatever combo you like the sound of)

1 cup of hot strong black tea

1 cup self raising flour

Pinch sea salt

WHAT YOU DO

Pre-heat the oven to 300F

Butter and line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper

In a large bowl mix together the All Bran, sugar and fruit

Add the hot tea and stir. Leave the mix for 2 mins whilst the tea is absorbed.

Add in the flour and stir till mixed thoroughly

Place in the loaf tin and bake in the centre of the oven for about 2 hours. Start checking after an hour and a half. The top should be golden and the sides should be coming away from the tin. Place a skewer into the centre of the loaf and if it comes out clean, it is ready

Turn out and leave to cool

Slice thickly and eat it spread with butter or just as it is. Keep wrapped in foil and keep for a few days, if you have the will power, and it's even better.

I will also be sharing a fabulous recipe for Fruit Malt Loaf. All hail the loaf!

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing."

~Abraham Lincoln

We are at that point in January when it's a bit too late to say Happy New Year to people. It's just plain old 2019 now, nothing new about it anymore! Hopefully you are all still holding strong on your motivation for all of those New Years Resolutions you made? I don't make many resolutions as the new year falls, rather I place a few things on the "to do list" and hope for the best.

I am starting the new year off on the blog with a little "This, that & the other" post. Just a little catch up and a sneaky peek at what's to come........

THIS

For anyone wanting to learn how to butcher a pig there are only a few spaces left for my forthcoming "Whole Hog" class at Get Cooking. More details.....

The Whole Hog. With Elyse Chatterton & Kathryn JoelJoin Elyse and Kathryn for this this special class exploring techniques in butchering a whole pig, how to make sausages and how to cook a variety of pork cuts too. We'll be bringing in a side of Irving's Farm pork, so your day will start with Elyse teaching you how to break it down. She'll walk you through the different cuts then get you making sausages, which we'll be cooking together along with some of the other cuts we prepare. Kathryn will be walking you through the culinary techniques, and whipping up some delicious sides to accompany the pork cuts that we prepare.

This class is not suitable for vegetarian diets but gluten-free substitutions are available on request.

Class Fee: $150 per person, plus GST. Your Fee Includes: a 5-hour butchery and cooking class, a full meal with paired drinks, and a recipe pack to take home.

We spent Christmas and New Year in the UK visiting family and friends. Fabulous company, delicious food and so much gin! Gin is a big deal in the UK and all gin drinks are now served in balloon glasses! I rather liked them, might have to search some out here in Canada. I will do a little UK trip review on the blog coming soon!

Can you guess the new sexy super food of 2019? Fibre! Did you guess it? Probably not. This un-sung hero of the super food world seems to be getting its time to shine. I have been making a high fibre muesli for a while now and it changes dependent on what I grab from Bulk Barn. It always has bran, oats, seeds (linseed, chia, flax etc), nuts, dried fruits Love dried cherries & cranberries) and wheat germ. So good, so easy. Or you could whip up this Toasted Coconut & Almond version from the archives, also delicious!

THE OTHER

One of my New Years "to do list" additions was not drink alcohol during January. After three weeks of partying like it was Christmas Day in the UK a little break from the booze seemed like a fabulous idea. So far, so good! I have been fizzing up quite a lot of water in my soda stream and I wanted a little tipple to replace my evening indulgence so what better than some punchy ginger beer (non alcoholic ones for now but it would be so good with vodka!!)

WHAT YOU DO
Put the ginger and lemon in a bowl, pour over 300 ml water and blitz with a hand blender or throw it all in an upright blender. Strain through a sieve lined with a clean cloth into a bowl, then squeeze the cloth together to get as much liquid as you can out of the ginger & lemon mix. Add the sugar & salt and throw it all back in the blender and give it a good blitz. Store in the fridge and shake well before each use. Add sparking or still water and plenty of ice! 2 teaspoons of the syrup per tall glass seems to work well for diluting but adjust to your taste.

I promise normal gin consumption will continue in February. I have some fabulous ideas for new cocktails and I have been experimenting with making my own bitters too. There will be lots more cooking with my kids this year as my eldest keeps creeping into the kitchen- can't tell you how happy this makes me!

About me

A life without lemons is like swimming in the nude, you can do it but it just feels wrong!I am an Edmonton food blogger, lady butcher, enthusiastic baker, gin drinker and lego picker upper. I make fabulous food and share it here.